


The Worst Minutes of His Life

by Zorro_sci



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Reckless!Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-30
Updated: 2014-06-30
Packaged: 2018-02-06 21:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1873089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorro_sci/pseuds/Zorro_sci
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony flies his suit into a storm and ends up in over his head.  Will his science bro get there in time to bail him out?  And what about all the things this stirs up for Bruce?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Worst Minutes of His Life

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by a prompt on Avengerskink on Live Journal. All characters within are not owned by me.

"Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" blasted through the Mark XX's speakers as Tony took it out for a test spin. So far he was very pleased with the capabilities of his new suit. He could climb and dive easily, the repulsor beams were working like clockwork, and all displays showed that it was working like a dream. Now came the tricky part. The new Mark XX was designed to be able to take on the worst storm. Thunder, lighting and hurricane force winds. Really only necessity when the God of Thunder is on your team, if you think about it.

Prior to leaving Tony had checked the Weather Channel. There was a hurricane off the coast of Virginia, and he fully intended to see what his suit could handle. Flying south, he pushed the repulsors to full capacity. The skies around him started to get darker, and before he knew it, he was in the midst of the worst hurricane Virginia had seen in a decade. The winds roared around him, but he managed to keep a steady course. Lightning flashed and the skies rumbled, but everything seemed to be going according to plan. 

Everything was going according to plan that is, until lightning struck the suit. Suddenly the displays flashed brighter than they ever had and then sparked out, along with all power to the suit. 

In a ball of cackling electricity, Tony started to fall out of the sky like a stone. The earth below him approached sickeningly fast, though he was barely aware of it. He was overwhelmed by the pain of the repeated electric shocks caused by all the energy that continued to spark through the wiring of the suit. It was too much, he knew he was going to lose consciousness, though he could have sworn that even as everything went dark he heard a roar piercing through the impending blackness.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Doctor Banner?" JARVIS' voice intoned, almost hesitantly, in the lab.

"Yes, JARVIS?"

"Master Stark has taken the Mark XX out for a test run," JARVIS started, and who knew that an AI could be so halting, so seemingly unsure.

"I'm aware," Bruce replied cautiously, unsure of where exactly this was going.

"He would not want me to tell you, but he is currently headed right into the center of Hurricane Frida. 

He claims he needs to know what the suit can do, but it seems far from wise to me sir. However, I was unable to persuade him to turn back," JARVIS explained, and if possible his computerized voice seemed faster, as if he were trying to get everything out in a rush now that he had breached this subject.

"What?!?"

Before Bruce could even think, he was running out the lab door, not exactly sure what his next step was, only that he had to get to Tony before something went terribly wrong.

The elevator seemed impossibly slow as he made his way down to the lobby. He tried to use the time to calm down and formulate a plan, but every time he thought of the danger Tony could be in as he stumbled forward without direction, his stomach flipped and the edge of his vision started to get green. 

NO! He had to stay calm. Had to think.

"Sir, if I may, I took the liberty of booking you a flight on one of Master Stark's jet. It will take you as close to the storm as you're allowed to fly. 

When you arrive, a car will be waiting for you to take you the rest of the way," JARVIS chimed in just as Bruce was beginning to feel overwhelmed by his inability to form a plan.

"Thanks," he breathed as tears welled in his eyes, but didn't spill. This whole situation was making him entirely too emotional and he was grateful for JARVIS' mechanical precision.

On the flight Bruce fidgeted nervously and tried to keep himself from getting out of his seat and pacing. What was Tony thinking? Did he have a death wish; wearing a metal suit with as much wiring as a super computer into an electrical storm?!? Not to mention the winds which were strong enough that it was a risk to fly a large plane through them, much less the comparative equivalent of a tin can. Nevermind the large debris that was bound to flying around, or torrential rains and flooding.

It was a recipe for disaster, and if anything happened to Tony . . .well . . .that was the part he was actively trying to avoid thinking about. 

He couldn't imagine his life without Tony. His snarky comments in the lab. The way he poked and prodded both physically and mentally, always pushing Bruce to the limit, but never past it. The child-like delight in his eyes when he designed a new gadget, or caused yet another explosion. The way they worked in tandem so fluidly they rarely needed words to know what the other needed next. The trust in his eyes when he and Bruce had their occasional deep and truthful moments in the quiet, darkness of the night when they had been working too long and all inhibitions were down. 

It couldn't happen. He couldn't lose his lab partner, his science bro, his best friend. Without him Stark Towers would be empty. It was only home because Tony was there. No Tony meant no home, no feeling of security, no purpose, no love.

Wait . . . .no what now? Love? . . . Yes, that was the right word. As much as he may have tried to convince himself otherwise. He could claim he only saw Tony as a friend, his best friend, all he wanted, but all evidence spoke to the contrary. 

If Tony were only a friend he would no doubt be halfway around the world right now, no matter how close they were. Sure, he probably would have visited, but he still would have left. 

When he looked at his situation honestly, he knew the only reason he wasn't back in India, or Indonesia or some other location was because Tony wanted him to stay. Tony looked so distraught every time he even mentioned leaving that he had stopped bringing it up three months ago. 

Bruce staying made Tony happy, and that was all that had mattered to him. Like so many situations they had faced in the last year, Bruce wanted nothing more than to make Tony happy. To make sure Tony was cared for. To make sure Tony was safe. 

There was no doubt. He loved Tony Stark. In the moment it seemed like such an obvious fact he wondered how he had missed it before. He shook his head with slight annoyance at his own obliviousness only to have the annoyance taken over by all-consuming, gut-wrenching panic as he remembered Tony was still out in that storm.

When the plane landed and he climbed into the car to drive towards the darkened skies looming ahead, Bruce felt like he was holding onto his control by his fingernails. He knew he had to stay calm, at least for now, at least until he knew more about the situation; but in the back of his mind the Hulk seemed very aware that Tony was probably in danger, and was grumbling and growling that if Bruce didn't fix it soon, he would.

Trying to convince himself that it probably wasn't as bad as he thought, maybe Tony had even seen how dangerous it was and turned back after more urging from JARVIS, (unlikely given Tony's history). Unable to do anything other than continue to paid, he floored the pedal to go faster, despite already being over ten miles an hour over the speed limit. 

His eyes scanned the sky, and before long he picked out a streak of red and gold swerving through the air, avoiding debris that the winds had picked up. 

He let out a breath that it felt like he had been holding since he left Stark Tower. Tony was safe. For now at least. All he needed to do was get to him before that stopped being true.

As if on cue with his thoughts, a large bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, hitting the Iron Man suit. The strike clearly fried the suit. Even from a distance, Bruce could see it sparking as it started to plummet toward the earth.

Without a second thought, Bruce was combat rolling out of the car, body growing and turning green as he tumbled away from the vehicle.

With a roar, the Hulk took over and began bounding toward where Tony was falling from the sky like Icarus. 

'Must save Tiny Tin Man' he thought as he leapt towards him.

Like an outfielder catching a flyball, the Hulk reached out a hand and pulled the crackling suit out of the air. The pops of electricity stung like a dozen giant bees, but the Hulk knew better that to let go.

'You need to get him out of the suit,' Puny Banner whispered from the back of his mind. 

As gently as he was able to, the rage monster pried the fried metal off of Tony's injured body. 

A quick survey refealed burns, and more concerningly that the arc reactor was flickering dangerously. 

Hulk didn't need to hear what Puny Banner was saying about the waning light in the back of his mind to know this was bad. He knew Tin Man needed his shiny heart. It took him all of thirty seconds to assess the situation and begin leaping back toward the jet with the tiny Tin Man cradled gently against his chest like a beloved teddy bear. 

Once he reached the jet, he set Tin Man down on the ground gently and returned control to Banner quicker than he ever had before. This was Tin Man, and he needed Bruce, so Hulk was happy to step down.

When the de-hulking was complete, Bruce looked around in exhaustion, trying to figure out where he was. However, the second he saw Tony laying next to him with the arc reactor all but dark he forgot his exhaustion. 

He needed to help Tony. Without the reactor he would die. But what could he do? The reactor was likely damaged beyond repair due to the overload the lightning strike would have caused. Without a spare . . .there was nothing Bruce could do. He couldn't build a new one fast enough to save his friend, even if he had the proper materials.

Tears started to sting his eyes as he realized that despite everything he was too late. 

He cradled Tony's too still body against his chest and let out a choked sob. It was just so unfair. How could this be happening? How could the love of his life be dying in his arms the day he finally was willing to admit that he loved him? How could the most precious thing in his life be ripped out of it in the pouring rain under the shadow of a gaudy private jet that spoke ironically to how no one's wealth could save them?

Wait . . .the jet. Tony always kept a spare arc reactor locked away on the jet. The Hulk must have remembered. That must have been why he brought them there.

Bruce gently laid Tony on the wet pavement and ran into the nearby jet. 

Going into the small bedroom that Tony had aboard, Bruce quickly found the box that held the arc reactor and punched in the code. Tony had shared it with him months ago, making a big deal about how he may need it some day and Bruce was the only other person he trusted to have it.

Plucking the spare reactor out of its case, Bruce half-stumbled, half-ran back out of the jet and back to Tony's side. He noticed with a crest of panic and bile rising in his throat that the light of the reactor had gone out completely while he had gone in search of the other.

Praying that he wasn't too late, and that the defunct reaction would come out easily, Bruce twisted the broken machinery out of the billionaire's chest. The metal around the edges was hot. Hot enough to burn Bruce's hands, but the chest piece still slid out easily as Bruce ignored the sharp pain in his fingers. 

Throwing the broken technology to the side with little caution, Bruce carefully slid the new cylinder into the hole in Tony's chest, and clicked it into place. 

It immediately began to glow with reassuring pale blue light, and when it was paired with the weak and thready, (but blessedly still there!), thrum of Tony's pulse under his fingers, Bruce breathed a sigh of relief.

Mixed with his relief came fresh worry. He knew that Tony needed care that he was ill-equipped to give him, so Bruce quickly called for an ambulance, and then set about treating his burns as best as he could with the resources he had.

Before long Tony was being rushed to the hospital while a panicked, but relieved, Bruce looked on. This wasn't over, not by a long shot, but there was reason to hope.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tony woke up in a room that was entirely too white, too sterile and too clinical. It didn't take long for him to realize, with no small amount of displeasure, that he was in a hospital room. He hated hospitals.

Turning his head, (not without pain), to take in his surrounding he saw a hunched, disheveled figure next to him. Bruce. 

Bruce looked awful. Even with his head resting wearily in his hands, Tony could see that Bruce's jaw was covered with salt and pepper stubble. There were dark bags under his eyes that looked like he hadn't slept in years, and his face was blotchy and his eyes were bloodshot like he had been crying. 

Tony hated seeing his friend like this, so with as much energy as he could muster, he reached out a hand to touch Bruce's knee, letting out a hiss of air as he pulled against the bandages on some of his burns as he did so.

"Hey, you're awake," Bruce said gently. 

His eyes lit up with what looked like relief, and then filled with tears that began to slowly trail down his cheeks, even though he seemed to be making a Herculean effort to hold them back.

"Hey, it's alright," Tony croaked, unnerved by seeing his companion cry.

"I'm sorry. I should be comforting you. I must seem so weak to you right now," Bruce chuckled humorlessly as the traitorous tears continued to fall.

"Not at all," Tony answered in an abused whisper.

Hearing this, Bruce held out a glass of water with a straw for Tony to sip from.

"You gave me quite a scare," he said in a tone that was meant to be light and humorous, but came out scared and almost accusatory.

"I'm sorry," Tony stated, unsure of what to make of the haunted look on Bruce's face. 

Sure, he had taken a risk, and it had had nasty side effects, but the tortured look on Bruce's face made it seem like the other scientist had thought he had tried to get struck by lightning on purpose. However, as he analyzed the look on Dr. Banner's face, his apology died on his lips and he found himself getting angry.

Yes, he had been reckless, but so what? It was his life! He could do what he wanted with it! _Tony_ was the one who had almost died. _He_ was the one who was covered in painful burns. What right did the gentle-doctor-slash-sometime-green-rage-monster have to be sitting there looking like a kicked puppy over a choice that Tony had made about HIS OWN life?!? 

"But hey, it's part of being a superhero. You know that. Iron Man isn't exactly a cushy, safe nine-to-five job," Tony snipped back as casually as he could, unable to completely keep the edge out of his tone.

Bruce surveyed him with watery eyes. 

Darn it! Those deep brown, beautiful eyes always saw too much.

"I know that being Iron Man isn't a safe job," Bruce said carefully after a long pause, "but Tony, that doesn't mean seeking out the storm. 

Look, I know you're used to being careless with your life, and you're used to no one trying to stop you or question you when you do, but Tony that's got to change. I care too much about you to let you treat your life like it means nothing. 

You may think it doesn't matter if you live or die, but it matters to me. I love you . . .and those minutes where I thought I had lost you were the worst minutes of my life."

Not knowing quite where those words had come from, and mentally kicking himself as he felt tears roll down his cheeks YET AGAIN, Bruce watched Tony's face register shock.

"What?" Tony whispered weakly.

"I love you," Bruce repeated, stronger this time, "so whether you like it or not I'm going to take care of you."

Tony stared for a long time, then finally said, "I love you too, you know."

Bruce started, but then things began to click into place. That was why Tony was so insistent that Bruce stayed with him. That was why Tony got that pained look on his face when Bruce talked about being hunted, or his childhood, or the times he got low. That was why he clung to Bruce's side anytime that Bruce seemed sad, with a worry that was almost tangible. That was why he had Bruce followed when he left the tower alone to make sure that he wasn't captured, (though Tony didn't know that Bruce knew about that). Some of it was overbearing, and socially inappropriate or awkward, but it was still Tony's way of showing him that he loved him. There could be no doubt of that.

"I know," Bruce said quietly.

Their eyes met, and they knew from now on things were going to be different. 

Tony would be more careful, and Bruce would give up the urge to run away. They didn't just have themselves to worry about anymore. They were in this together.


End file.
